Ice cream freezer



ET AL ICE CREAM FREEZERl Filled NQv. 4, 1956 J. w. MEYER. JR;,

fase/v Wwe Jan. 2, 1940.

Patented Jan. 2, 1940 UNITED :STATES PATENT cernes Ruttiman, Gardner,

Mass., assignors to The Alaska Freezer Co., Inc., Winchendon, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application November 4, 1936, Serial No. 109,090

2 Claims.

This invention relates to ice cream freezers dei signed for domestic use.

lt is the general object of our invention to provide an ice cream freezer embodying important improvements in design and construction, whereby the freezer may be economically manufactured and will be reliable and satisfactory in use.

With this general object in view, important features of our invention relate to the provision of an improved cover construction, to novel securing and locking devices therefor, and to an improved device for positioning the can centrally inthe freezer when assembling the gear head and cover'onthe tub. 1 Our invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawing, in which Fig. l isa side elevation, partly in section, of our improved freezer;

Fig. 2 is a plan View thereof, partly in section;

Fig. 3 is a partial sectional side elevation, taken along the line 3 3 in Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a partial sectional plan view, taken along the line 4 4 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a partial plan view to be described; and

Fig. 6 is a partial sectional elevation, taken along the line 6-6 in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, our improved freezer comprises a tub I0,.preferably formed of sheet metal and having an inner wall il and an outer 35 wall l2 separated by a substantial air space i3,

both at the sides and the bottom of the tub.

The inner wall Il is provided with a bead i4 near the upper end of the'tub and the outer wall l2 may be provided with a similar bead i5. 40 A centering'device is supported on the inner bead M and comprises a ring or circular band It pron vided with a plurality of outwardly radiating arms the ends of which rest on the bead i4.

The band Hl is of slightly greater diameter than the lower head of the can 20, which is supported on a centerfZi on the inner bottom of the freezer. When thus supported, the can 20 is loosely held in substantially vertical position by band itl and arms I9, so that the gear head may be readily assembled therewith.

The gear head comprises a casting 30 having a removable top plate 3l and containing a pair of bevel gears 32 and 33 engaged by a bevel pinion 3A on a drive shaft 35 adapted to be turned manually by a handle 36. This arrangement of gearing forms no part of our present invention but is of a usualcommercial type.

The casting 30 has an upper cover plate 35 and a lower cover plate 31 secured in spaced relation thereto in any convenient manner as by rivets orspot-welding- The cover plates 36 and 3l' are v also similarly secured to each other at their outer edges, thus providing a substantial air space 33 in the cover for further insulation of the freezer.

The cover 36 has a peripheral flange 40 tting closely in a corresponding recess M in the `upper end portion of the side wall of the tub i0. The liange i0 is provided with a pair of oppositely disposed notches 42 (Figs. 3 and 4) and at one side of each notch 42 the flange A@ is beveled off to the wedge-shaped form shown at i3 in Fig. 3.

Slots 50 (Fig. 6) are provided in the upright side wall of the annular recess M, and T-shaped looking lugs y5l are positioned with portions 52 thereof extending inward through the slots 50. The lugs 5l are soldered or otherwise secured to the under side of the sheet metal member 54 which forms the top edge of the tub, before the inner and outer walls of the tub are assembled with said member.

We are thus able to use relatively light metal for the walls of the tub, while at the same time a firm locking construction is provided. The cover is inserted in the recess 4| in such position that the lugs 52 enter the notches 42, and the cover is thereafter turned to bring the parts to the position shown in Fig. 3, whereby the cover is firmly secured in position and a substantially air-tight joint is attained.

We also provide means for securely locking'the cover in the secured position described, so that the parts cannot loosen during the freezing operation. For this purpose we provide a ratchet plate 60 (Fig. 3) pivoted at 6l on a post 62 forming a part of the gear head casting 30. The plate 60 is normally positioned as shown in Fig. 3, with some one of its ratchet teeth engaging the adjacent lug 52 and preventing backward movement thereof.

When it is desired to remove the cover from the freezer, the plate 60 may be manually swung upward to release the lug 52.

Having thus described our invention and the advantages thereof, we do not wish to be limited t0 the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what we claim is:

l. In a freezer, a circular cover having a slotted edge flange and having an inclined upper cam surface adjacent each slot, a tub comprising inner 55 and outer spaced sheet metal walls, a top` edge member connecting said inner and outer Walls and forming an upper closure for the space between said Walls and having an annular recess in its upper inner edge portion to receive and support the slotted ange of said cover, said top edge member having openings in the upright Wall of said recess, and lugs extending inward through said openings and having enlarged portions thereof permanently secured to the under side of said top edge member outside of said upright wall, the inner ends of said lugs engaging said inclined flange surfaces when the tub and cover are assembled and holding said parts in sealed relation.

2. In a freezer comprising a tub having a ref cess in its upper end portion and a gear-sup` porting cover tting closely in said recess, that improvement which consists in providing notches and associated Wedge-.shaped edge portions in said cover, and in providing said tub with lugs on its upper end portion positioned to enter said notches and to cooperate with said Wedge-shaped edge portions to Wedge said cover in said recess, and in providing a ratchet plate on said cover, which plate engages one of said lugs and automatically prevents reverse movement of said cove from secured position on said tub.

JOSEPH W. MEYER, JR. ALFRED RUTTIMAN. 

